Mitt Romney’s planned speech today at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas to confront suspicions about his Mormon faith is being viewed as the biggest moment of his presidential campaign.
With surveys showing many Americans less likely to vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, the address has drawn comparisons to John F. Kennedy’s call for religious tolerance when, as the Democratic presidential nominee in 1960, he sought to defuse hostility about his Roman Catholic faith before Southern Baptist ministers in Houston.
Kennedy’s task was in many ways easier, given that 42 million Americans were Roman Catholic then, compared with an estimated six million Mormons nationwide today, just 2 percent of the population.
Mr. Romney and his advisers have made clear that he will not be explaining his faith, or doing “Mormon 101,” as one top adviser put it, in his speech.
Mr. Romney said church officials were the ones who should answer such questions.
“You know, they’re probably the right folks to give you the answers to questions related to a bunch of Mormon teachings,†he said. “So I’ll probably let them respond to questions about specific doctrines.
Okay, here’s my question for the church officials: “what promises did Mr. Romney actually make to your church in your temple? I need to know what those are in order to decide whether his allegiances are divided.”
Answer: “We won’t tell you that. It’s sacred information.”